Editorial: Tasteless display deserves its end

Vandalism is vandalism. The destruction of another’s personal property is a senseless crime, the perpetrators of which should be punished and forced to pay restitution. Usually.

Vandalism is vandalism. The destruction of another’s personal property is a senseless crime, the perpetrators of which should be punished and forced to pay restitution.

Usually.

That said, the most recent case of vandalism in Fall River — while a destructive invasion and certainly illegal — wasn’t senseless. In fact, many may consider the crime justified — a Machiavellian public service — as the victim, himself, is thought of as a vandal by some of his neighbors.

The destruction Friday night is nothing new to Paul Viveros, owner of Oliver’s Restaurant at 320 Airport Road, near the entrance to the Industrial Park. He has been battling vandals for more than a year since he erected his controversial "art" display of 14 gleaming white toilets, each sporting a letter that together spelled "Industrial Park."

Viveros has called his display an "artistic monument." While adding an attraction of questionable taste and merit to the Fall River landscape, but one that he said made people smile as they drove down Airport Road, Viveros claimed the project also had a serious, political message.

He said it played upon the fact the city has a landfill as a prominent part of its skyline, the city is thought of as "the bottom of the barrel" to some, state politicians often ignore Fall River and that neighboring towns depend on Fall River’s water to "flush" their own waste.

More likely, the porcelain putridity was Viveros’ sophomoric attempt to protest the city’s refusal to allow nude dancing at Oliver’s, a battle he fought for years before the City Council put it to rest in May 2005. It is akin to a homeowner painting his house fluorescent fuschia because he wasn’t allowed to construct an illegal addition. It is a mean-spirited act that does nothing but hurt those around him.

Each time vandals struck over the past year, Viveros replaced damaged toilets without reporting the crime, so as not to give the perpetrators any publicity. On Friday, though, the artistic monument was finally flushed, as all 14 toilets were destroyed. Viveros said he is finally throwing in the towel, that he won’t replace the estimated $1,200 worth of latrines in front of his still clothing-mandated restaurant.

That is welcome news to other business owners in the Industrial Park, who have characterized the commode collection as an embarrassment that detracts from their businesses. Indeed, the display has been an embarrassment to the entire city since it was dumped on residents in October 2006.

Viveros has been thumbing his nose at Fall Riverites both before and since, refusing to heed their pleas and using their complaints as so much toilet paper. Someone, it appears, has had enough.

Even if Viveros was truly trying to make a statement, as he claims, his is a sad message. He offered a bleak commentary on his own city without suggesting any solutions. Instead, he lashed out at his innocent neighbors and fellow residents. If he truly cared about the city’s problems, he wouldn’t have contributed to its blight.

While any member of the media is loathe to support any attack on First Amendment rights, common sense and common decency have to come into play. Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it should be done.

By the same token, just because something is illegal doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done.